The antipathie of the English lordly prelacie, both to regall monarchy, and civill unity: or, An historicall collection of the severall execrable treasons, conspiracies, rebellions, seditions, state-schismes, contumacies, oppressions, & anti-monarchicall practices, of our English, Brittish, French, Scottish, & Irish lordly prelates, against our kings, kingdomes, laws, liberties; and of the severall warres, and civill dissentions occasioned by them in, or against our realm, in former and latter ages Together with the judgement of our owne ancient writers, & most judicious authors, touching the pretended divine jurisdiction, the calling, lordlinesse, temporalities, wealth, secular imployments, trayterous practises, unprofitablenesse, and mischievousnesse of lordly prelates, both to King, state, Church; with an answer to the chiefe objections made for the divinity, or continuance of their lordly function. The first part. By William Prynne, late (and now againe) an utter-barester of Lincolnes Inne.

Saint Assaph.

* 1.1 * 1.2IOhn Trevaur Bishop of Saint Assaph pronounced the sen∣tence for deposing King Richard the second, in which in∣strument he is first named, as appeares by this ensuing Copy of it. In the Name of God, Amen. We Iohn Bishop of Saint Assaph, chosen and deputed speciall Commissaries by the three states of this pre∣sent Parliament representing the whole body of the Realme, for all such matters•• by the said estates to us committed; Wee understanding and considering the manifold crimes, hurts, and harmes done by Richard King of England, and misgovernance of the same by a long time, to the great decay of the said Land, and utter ruine of the same shortly to have beene, had not the speciall grace of our God thereto put the sooner remedy; And also further more adverting, that the said King Richard

by acknowledging his owne insufficiency, hath of his owne meere vo∣lunta••y and free will, renounced and given over the rule and governance of this Land, with all rights and h••nours unto the same belonging, and utterly for his merits hath judged himselfe not unworthily to be de∣posed of all Kingly Majesty and Estate Royall: We, the Premisses well considering by good and diligent deliberation, by the power, name, and authority, to us (as aforesaid) committed, pronounce, decer••e, and de∣clare the same King Richard, before this to have beene, and so to be unprofitable, u••a••le, unsuffi••ient, and unwor••hy of the Rule and Government of the foresaid Realmes and Lor••ships, and of all rights and other the appurtenances thereto belonging. And f••r the same causes wee de••rive him of all Kingly dignity and worsh••p, and of all Kingly worship in himselfe. And we depose him by our sentence de∣finitive: forbidding expresly to all Archbishops and Bishops, and all other Prelates, Dukes, Marquesses, Earles, Barons, and Knights, and all other men of the foresaid Kingdome and Lordships, Subjects and Leiges whatsoever they be, that none of them from this day forward, to the foresaid Richard, as King and Lord of the foresaid Realmes and Lordships, be neither obedient nor attendant. Immediatly as this sentence was in this wise passed, and that by reason thereof the Realme stood voyd without head or governour for the same, The Duke of Lancaster rising from the place where before hee sate, and standing where all the house might behold him, laid claime to the Crowne, to which the Lords assented.

After which the Archbishop of Canterbury (Arundel) having no∣tice of the minds of the Lords, stood up and asked of the Com∣mons, if they would assent to the Lords, which in their minds thought the claime of the Duke made to be rightfull and neces∣sary for the wealth of the Realme and them all. Whereto the Commons with one voyce cryed, Yea, yea, yea: After which an∣swer, the said Archbishop going to the Duke, and kneeling downe before him on his knees, addressed to him all his purpose in a few words: which ended, he rose, and taking the Duke by the right hand, led him unto the Kings Seat, the Archbishop of Yorke assisting him; and with great reverence set him therein. When he was thus placed in his Throne, the Arch••. of Canturbury began a briefe Collation, taking for his Theame these words written in the first Booke of Kings, the ninth Chapter, Vir dominabitur in p••pulo, &c. handling the same, and the whole tenour of his tale to the praise of the King. Thus was this King deprived by the

Bishops meanes, who were chiefe actors in deposing him, and setting up King Henry; yet some of them (especially Yorke) were the authors of that evill counsell, which was the cause of his de∣privation. And no wonder, since in his reigne (as Holinshed writes) such were preferred to * 1.3 Bishopricks; and other Ecclesia∣sticall livings, as neither did, nor could teach, nor preach, nor know any thing of the Scripture of God, but onely to call for their tythes and duties; so as they were most unworthy of the name of Bishops, being lewd and most vaine persons disguised in Bishops apparrell. Furthermore, there reigned abundantly the filthy sinne of Leche••y and Fornication, with abominable adul∣tery in the King, but chiefly in the Prelacy; whereby the whole Realme, by such their evill example, was so infected, that the wrath of God was daily provoked to vengeance for the sinnes of the Prince and people, and tooke so sharpe an edge, that it shred the King off from the Scepter of his Kingdome, and gave him a full cup of affliction to drinke. After which, this Bishop was sent Ambassador into Spaine, to shew the King the rightfulnesse of Henry the fourth his Ti••le to the Crown of England; and soone after his returne thence, Anno 1404. (as Th••mas Walsing••am re∣ports) perceiving Owen Glendor, that Welch R••bell, to prosper in his wa••res against King He••ry the fourth; Conversus est in virum pravum factus transfuga ad Owenum, hee turned a lewd Traytour and Rebell, flying away from the King to Owen. What became of him upon Owens defeate, I find not. Thus this B••shop was a Traytor and Rebell to two severall Kings; and which was worst of all, to him whose title he thus tooke upon him publikely to defend but a little before. Such faith and loyalty is there in lord∣ly Prelates.

I shall not trouble you any more with our Welch Bishops; only let me acquaint you for a farewell; that the present Bishops of A∣saph, Bangor, and Landaffe, are now complained against in Parlia∣ment, and impeached by the Commons House for the late Ca∣nons, Oath, malevole••t benevolence, and other crimes; for which I suppose they will ere long receive their doome.

Notes

• * 1.1

  ••ohn Trevaur.
• * 1.2

  Wals. Hist. Angl. Anno 1399. 1404. p. 398.399.412.413. Ypodig. Neustriae Anno. 1404. p. 164. Godwin. Edit 2•• pag. 554. Speed. Hist. pag. 758.763. Holinsh. p. 503.504.505.506.507.508.
• * 1.3

  Holinshed. pag. 508.